“Wait, they could be anywhere. We’ve got to do this quietly.”
“Come on, Tulip. You think they’re going to leave us alone all day? We’ve got to move, and now.”
She knew Jade was right.
Turning the doorknob, she tried not to panic and wasn’t exactly successful. There was one thing about escaping, another about getting shot at. No matter what, she didn’t want to die today, or any day soon. Jade didn’t seem to share her worry. The only thing on the girl’s mind was escape.
Any other time, she’d have loved her attitude. Right now, with Landon in trouble, it didn’t exactly suit her for this girl to be so selfish about getting out. She wasn’t leaving without Landon, simple as that.
Chapter Eleven
“If you’re going to kill me, you might as well get it over with already,” Landon said.
Rick dumped him on the ground of his father’s old office. Landon knelt on the floor and watched as Rick pulled out a gun.
“You know, Landon, it would be easy for me to do. I like the easy life. It was easy for me to give up all of this shit to be with my woman Mandy. You remember her, don’t you? The woman who was nice to you when you had no choice but to come and stay with us because of your fucked-up nonsense? Now I’m back here, again, dealing with your fucked-up messes, again. I don’t like doing this, but it would seem with Maddox gone, he fucked everything up, even bigger than you.” Rick didn’t shoot. He clicked the safety back on his gun. “Which also means I’ve got no choice but to fix this shit he’s created. Believe me, I’m not in the best of moods right now.”
Rick sat back on the edge of the desk.
Landon looked at the gun. “You’re not going to kill me?”
“Do you really think I’m fucking stupid?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’ve evaded death from bounty hunters, and me from finding you for over a year, and you think by some miracle, I’m going to believe I happened to find the key to locating you?”
“You did.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“Then do me a favor. Cut the crap and tell me why you got me to bring you home.” Rick folded his arms. “You let me find you. You wanted to be found. Why now? Why after all this time?”
Landon got to his feet.
“And with the Castillo girl as well. We both know her family is looking for her. We also know they’re going to want her to marry one of our own. Tell me, Landon, with a bounty on your head and a brand-new woman you’ve claimed, tell me how this is going to help me. You’ve brought me even more trouble.”
“I can’t protect them. Not Tulip, not Jade. They don’t deserve it.”
“So this is all about protecting your woman.”
“Those last bounty hunters got too close. I can keep on killing every single hunter that comes my way, but after each one falls, another ten take his or her place. They’re everywhere. I know that. You know that.”
“And with
Tulip, you can’t risk it.”
“I need that bounty gone.”
“You think I wouldn’t have gotten rid of it?”
“If you’re the leader of the Denton Family. Why can’t you?” Landon asked.
“It’s a debt that needs to be paid. My brother initiated it and when you make a certain oath, they can’t be broken. These men, they’re going to keep coming and coming. You took that chance, Landon. You were warned.”
“I thought I had nothing to live for.”